The Adventure of Dak a short story
by Catianna
Summary: Dak wants wings so he can fly, but people can't fly! ...silly Dak! Here's a short story about chasing your dreams, determination and the meaning of life. Well, maybe not that last part. Either way, it's written like a child's fantasy storybook. ENJOY!


Once upon a time....  
There was a man who was tall and had dark hair....  
This man's name was.......Dak  
Dak Snookums.

Dak wanted, more then anything else in the world, to have wings and fly.  
But he was just a man, and men don't have wings.  
So he decided to go on an adventure, and find someone help him to fly with wings.

Now.. Dak Snookums had many adventures along the way, and made some very good friends, but...  
not a one could help him get wings and fly.

One took him up in a balloon, so it was like he flew... but he had no wings.

Another made him wings... but he could not fly with them.

And so Dak kept walking and walking until he came to the Village of Hub Ub.  
In Hub Ub, Dak asked around if anyone could help him get wings and teach him to fly.  
As with all the other villages along the way, he heard "No." after "No."

Then he came to an elderly lady who said she knew just what he could do.  
She said that she had heard there was a castle in the land of Nod, and that there was a princess living there.  
"Now, not just any princess, mind you..." she had said. "A cursed princess. But if you lift the curse, you get a wish."  
And so Dak Snookums left the village of Hub Ub for this new adventure.

On and on he traveled. On and on and on and on, until he reached the land of Nod.  
And yet still he had to travel on and on some more, until he reached the castle.  
It was a very long journey, seeing as he had no wings.

Eventually, Dak stood in line with all the other men that had come to save the princess.  
His name was far down on the list. The list made it easier to know who's turn it was to be presented to the Princess.  
He waited a few days for his group to be called, then was finally was let into the "big chamber" to be presented to the King.

"Greetings!" said the King. "Welcome to the land of Nod, and our fair Castle of Wyn Cree!"

Dak just stared at the Princess, barely able to listen to the words the King spoke.  
She was beautiful, yes, but that wasn't why he stared.  
He stared, because she looked so sad. Sadder then anyone else he had ever seen. Sadder then he thought was even possible.  
Dak continued to stare at the Princess of Wyn Cree as the King explained the Princess' curse.  
She couldn't ever laugh!

Some other prince or hero asked the King why.  
The King said that she had laughed at a witch's eccentric clothing, and so was cursed to never laugh again.

"But.. how do we get her to laugh?" Another asked.

Dak just shook his head at the silly question.  
If the King had known, the princess would obviously not currently need saving.  
And so the questions continued until eventually the group left for bed.

In the morning, some decided to track down the witch, and left.

Others tried over and over to make the Princess laugh.  
Clowns, magicians, jesters and the like all paraded past her.  
Occationally she smiled the saddest smile, but never did she laugh.

Finally it came Dak Snookums turn to spend a little time with the Princess and try to lift the curse.  
Now, Dak Snookums wasn't the smartest man, but he wasn't the dullest either.  
He had spent all of the night before thinking of how to lift the curse.  
Right before the Princess joined him... he finally got an idea.  
A simple idea, mind you, but simple is sometimes the best answer.

Dak met the Princess in the castle entryway.  
When she got there, she just stared at him sadly.  
He smiled brightly at her, thinking that the wings would soon be his!

"Now..." he explained to her. "We need to go into Wynn Cree and buy some items." He grabbed her hands and pulled her after him.  
She followed sadly, still not having any hope of ever being cured.  
When they got to the city outside the castle, Dak stopped and turned to the Princess.

"Don't you see?! The other heroes, princes, jesters and magicians are all going about it wrong!"  
He laughed, now in the best of moods.  
"See... they are all trying to make you laugh. But **laughing** is what got you into this in the first place! But I have thought of a way you may lift the curse."

Dak Snookums went into all kinds of shops and with what little he had, he bought all kinds of strange items.  
After a bit, he finally came up to the Princess with an arm load of clothing.  
He pushed her into a cozy dress boutique and asked her to change her clothing.  
She looked at the pile of weird items a moment, then just shrugged and changed in a little dressing room.

When she came out... she looked absolutely ridiculous!

She wore the silliest, ugliest, most mis-matched, garish clothing in all the Land of Nod!  
Before she could look in a mirror or change her mind, Dak whispered in her ear. "Be brave. I'm here with you."  
He then pushed the Princess out in the street.

He pulled her slowly along the streets as person after person laughed at her.  
After lots of people in the city had laughed at her, making her want to cry, he finally pulled her along to one more shop.  
In the shop were row after row, shelf after shelf of mirrors.  
Dak Snookums pulled the Princess into the very center.

The Princess stared at her reflection.

She stared and stared and stared.  
Everywhere she looked, she saw herself... in that!

Suddenly, she burst out laughing!  
She laughed until it hurt. She laughed until she started crying at her horrible, goofy outfit. 

Later that day, Dak Snookums stood in front of the King and Princess in the great hall.  
Dak stared and stared once more at the Princess.  
She wasn't sad at all anymore. She'd been brave, and had overcome her fears and her snobbery.  
The Princess of Wyn Cree Castle was smiling brightly.  
Dak felt as if everything was good in the world, and that the sun was shining brightly upon him.

A tiny, fairy flittered down and smiled at Dak. "What is your wish?"

Dak thought about all the adventures that he had gone through to get him here to the end of his journey.  
He thought of the big pair of wings wanted.  
He thought of soaring in the sky, seeing the world beneath him.  
And finally, he thought of the time he had spent with the Princess today and the smile upon her face.

"I wish... well... I wish............"

He sighed sadly. "I wish the Princess would give me a chance. I have come to care for her and admire her, but I know that wishes can't be for love. Love has to be freely given. But I would still like the chance to earn her affection."

Everyone looked on in shock, word had spread about how much he had wanted the wings.  
Everyone stared except the Princess, who ran down into Dak Snookum's arms, smiling and laughing. "Yes! Oh, yes, oh yes!"  
The fairy just smiled and shrugged at the King, disappearing without a wish being cast.

---

Throughout the many years in the Castle of Wyn Cree, in the land of Nod, the people would joke about what the new King and Queen could be heard saying late at night after dinner, teasing each other.

"You know.. I gave up my wings just to be with you, my Queen...."

"You know.. I gave up marrying a prince just to wed you, my King...."

Both would laugh softly, smiling, with love shining in their eyes.  
Both knew what they had lost for the other.  
Both appreciated each other that much more for the sacrifice the other had made to choose them.

Oh! And what they gained...... was worth ever so much more.

To Love!

Thee End.


End file.
